Between June and July 2013, New York State’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.5%, remaining at its lowest level since February 2009, according to preliminary figures released today by the New York State Department of Labor. In areas of the state outside of New York City, which includes all of Upstate, Long Island and Putnam-Rockland-Westchester, the unemployment rate fell from 6.9% to 6.8%, its lowest level since January 2009. In addition, the number of unemployed state residents fell over the month by 3,100 to 717,700. The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 households in the state conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

New York State’s private sector job count dipped over the month – by 9,200 or 0.1% – to 7,436,800 in July 2013. Since the beginning of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, the New York State economy has added 323,700 private sector jobs and experienced employment growth in 26 of the past 31 months. In addition, New York’s economy has grown by 129,300 private sector jobs over the past year. New York remains one of only nine states in the nation to have fully recovered all of the private sector jobs lost in the economic downturn. The state’s private sector job count is based on a payroll survey of 18,000 New York employers conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Monthly employment estimates are preliminary and subject to revision as more information becomes available the following month. For June 2013, total private sector employment was revised upward by 1,400 jobs.

"The New York State economy has continued to improve over the past year. Since July 2012, we have added 129,300 private sector jobs, and New York is just one of nine states to have regained all of the jobs lost during the recession. In addition, over the past 12 months the state's unemployment rate has dropped from 8.7% to 7.5%," said Bohdan M. Wynnyk, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics.

Note: Seasonally adjusted data are used to provide the most valid month-to-month comparison. Non-seasonally adjusted data are valuable in year-to-year comparisons of the same month; for example, July 2012 versus July 2013.

1) Jobs data (seasonally adjusted):

U.S. and New York State, June 2013 - July 2013

The table below compares the over-the-month change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs in the United States and New York State between June and July 2013.

2) Unemployment rates (seasonally adjusted):

The state's unemployment rate, as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, is calculated by a statistical model that primarily uses the results of a telephone survey of 3,100 households in New York State. The statewide rate remained at 7.5% in July 2013. In addition, the number of unemployed New Yorkers decreased over the month -- from 720,800 in June 2013 to 717,700 in July 2013.

3) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

U.S., New York State, Major Regions, and Metro Areas: July 2012 - July 2013

The table that follows compares the over-the-year change in total nonfarm and private sector jobs that occurred in the United States, New York State, the Upstate and Downstate regions, and metro areas in the state between July 2012 and July 2013.

Job highlights since July 2012:

• Since July 2012, the number of private sector jobs in the state increased by 129,300, or 1.8%.
• In the 10-county Downstate region, private sector jobs grew by 2.5% over the past year. Downstate's private sector job growth was centered in New York City (+2.7%).
• In the 52-county Upstate region, the private sector job count grew by 0.9% over the past year. The Upstate region's private sector job growth was centered within its metro areas (+1.0%).
• Over the past year, private sector jobs grew most rapidly in these metro areas in the state:
  • New York City (+2.7%)
  • Ithaca (+2.4%)
  • Nassau-Suffolk (+2.3%)
  • Buffalo-Niagara Falls (+1.8%)
  • Putnam-Rockland-Westchester (+1.8%)
• The only metro area in the state to lose private sector jobs between July 2012 and July 2013 was Rochester (-0.1%).

4) Jobs data (not seasonally adjusted):

Change in jobs by major industry sector, July 2012 - July 2013

The table below compares the over-the-year change in jobs by major industry sector in New York State occurring between July 2012 and July 2013.

Highlights among NYS sectors with job gains since July 2012:

• Private educational and health services added the most jobs (+37,000) of any industry sector over the past year. Sector employment gains were centered in health care and social assistance (+25,000), especially ambulatory health care services (+13,800).
• The leisure and hospitality sector had the second largest increase in jobs (+33,900) between July 2012 and July 2013. Over the past year, sector job gains occurred in accommodation and food services (+19,100) and arts, entertainment and recreation (+14,800).

Highlights among NYS sectors with job losses since July 2012:

• Over the past year, manufacturing lost more jobs (-15,800) than any other sector in the state. Manufacturing sector job losses in July 2012-July 2013 were greatest in durable goods (-8,800), especially computer and electronic products (-2,400) and transportation equipment (-2,000).
• Employment losses in the government sector (-9,500) were concentrated at the local level (-4,900), especially local government hospitals (-2,600).

5) Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC):

For New York State, during the week that included July 12, 2013, there were 311,832 people (including 286,240 who live in the state) who received benefits under:

• Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) or
• Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC)

New York State residents who received Unemployment Insurance benefits made up 40% of the total unemployed in the state in July 2013.

See the table below for the maximum number of weeks available under current federal regulations.

We encourage people to use the Department's online Unemployment Insurance calculator to estimate how many weeks of benefits they may receive. See the calculator on the State Department of Labor's website or go here: http://www.labor.ny.gov/ui/claimantinfo/UIBenefitsCalculator. shtm

Note: The responsibility for the production of monthly estimates of state and metro area nonfarm employment by industry moved from the Division of Research and Statistics to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), starting with the March 2011 estimates. More detailed information on the change is available on the BLS web site.

Many economic data series have a seasonal pattern, which means they tend to occur at the same time each year (e.g., retail jobs usually increase in December). Seasonal adjustment is the process of removing seasonal effects from a data series. This is done to simplify the data so that they may be more easily interpreted and help to reveal true underlying trends. Seasonal adjustment permits comparisons of data from one month to data from any other month.

Labor force statistics, including the unemployment rate, for New York and every other state are based on statistical regression models specified by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In New York State, jobs data by industry come from a monthly survey of 18,000 business establishments. Jobs data by industry do not include agricultural workers, the self-employed, unpaid family workers, or domestic workers in private households.

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